I’ll never have the right words to say but I’m not going to wait around and try to find them.
We usually share with this community a blog every Thursday morning, but as you may have noticed, we pulled it as what was at the forefront of everyone’s minds has changed.
This morning has been confusing and frustrating. I’ve spent the last four hours debriefing with my team, making sure they’re okay and acknowledging what happened last night was not normal.
Meanwhile, working with them to figure out what to say to customers and how to adapt any messaging we had going out today (blog, social, etc) to assure it wasn’t tone-deaf
Are you feeling stumped with what to say to your teams or if you should say anything at all?
I encourage you to minimize the overthinking, speak from your heart, and just say it, even if imperfectly.
If you’re feeling as though you have so much on your plate, how can you manage this, too, I empathize with you.
But these are the true moments of calling that matter way more than whatever you planned for the day.
Protect your mental health and that of your teams today.
Be honest and embrace the emotions. They serve as a way to create meaning in a time of chaos and traumatic events.
Can you find a way to create some space for you all to process what is happening? Less scrutinizing what is happening and more empathy while we cope.
I believe in spreading joy and hope. Because what’s the freaking alternative?
I want to remind you of the goodness of people and the heart of humanity, which we need even more so in dark times.
I’ll never tell you how to cope but I will always be an example of someone who’s going to show up in real real-time what feels right and true to me as we’re navigating devastating times.
Many will argue against the “love and kindness” argument and I will always stand by it, for this is exactly how we need to show up right now.
Infants display examples of helpful behavior over the behavior of harm even before they can speak. One can derive from this that basic human nature is loving and kind. Cultivating warm-heartedness, compassion, and empathy is something we can all do.
Prepare as there is more to come
I’m personally very saddened by what we all experienced yesterday. I suspect we have another decade or two or more of this type of turmoil. As trust in big institutions is plummeting and people don’t know what to believe anymore, this pain isn’t going away.
Power, money, influence, and hate are trying to win. We only combat this, not with more of the same, but with more of the opposite: collaboration, finding common ground, seeking to understand, and maintaining a win-win mindset that helps all sides be better.
We must come back to our shared humanity if we want to move forward, to live in harmony. We must nurture emotional well-being and learn how to reduce anger, anxiety, and fear. The answer is to nurture peace of mind.
How you react is your choice
The world needs more human-centric leaders that have humility and selflessness, that don’t control but lead imperfectly and wholeheartedly in peace. That is the answer and the way to move forward. Thank you for choosing this journey we call #thehumanway.
Be with your people today. Take the day off if your soul needs it. Work will always be there.
In love and respect,
Hilary Corna
